West Ham United threw away a two-goal lead when they met Astra Giurgiu at Upton Park last week in the first leg of the third-round qualifier, a mistake that could prove very costly. The return leg will be played in Romania on Thursday, with the home side knowing that they could go through in case of a low-scoring draw. West Ham have lost on both their previous trips to Romania: 1-0 to FC Timisoara back in 1980 and 2-0 to Steaua in 1999.
Astra have defeated Scottish outfit Inverness in the previous round and then made the numerical advantage count at Upton Park as they fought back from 2-0 down. Last season they have managed to produce an upset in the same competition, knocking out French side Lyon in the qualifiers. They have signed no less than 11 new players this summer and have collected just five points from their first four league matches.
The Hammers seemed in control during the first leg last week, they were 2-0 up in the 51st minute but a red card from James Collins triggered the reaction from the visitors. West Ham would need either a win or a 3-3 or greater draw to qualify. They have won just two of their last five European matches though. Their discipline record in this year's competition is abysmal: three red cards in four matches. Moreover, Enner Valencia will be out for three months after picking up an injury in the first leg.
Probable line-ups:
Astra: Lung - Queiros, Gaman, Alves, Maranhao - Enache, Seto, Budescu, Teixera, Boldrin - William
West Ham: Adrian - Cresswell, Oxford, Ogbonna, Jenkinson - Kouyate, Noble, Payet - Zarate, Maiga, Sakho
My prediction: 1-1 draw.
Here are the odds for the match at Bet365:
Astra win - 2.90 Draw - 3.30 West Ham win - 2.37
Alexa Alexa 8 years ago
I am quite surprised that Astra Giurgiu has managed to eliminate West Hame in this stage.Romanian footblall is in great expansion and every club is better and better every year,but this looks like a big success for Astra Giurgiu.Bilic ,the manager of West Ham,must change something in his approach if he wants succes with...
I am quite surprised that Astra Giurgiu has managed to eliminate West Hame in this stage.Romanian footblall is in great expansion and every club is better and better every year,but this looks like a big success for Astra Giurgiu.Bilic ,the manager of West Ham,must change something in his approach if he wants succes with the Hammers.He started pretty bad.
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sharpe
8 years ago
I think Astra Giurgiu has every right to feel confident in this rematch against West Ham. The Hammers were very shaky not only previous game against the Romanian team but also in the previous round against Birkirkara (Malta) who are nowhere near the English team class so I'm pretty sure that this will be the end of West...
I think Astra Giurgiu has every right to feel confident in this rematch against West Ham. The Hammers were very shaky not only previous game against the Romanian team but also in the previous round against Birkirkara (Malta) who are nowhere near the English team class so I'm pretty sure that this will be the end of West Ham's European adventure for this season.
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